Book-holder



(No Model.)

LA V. W. NOYES';

BOOK HOLDER.

No. 243,955. Patented July 5,1881.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LA vEENE w. NoYEs, or oHIoAeo, ILLINOIS.

BOOK-HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 243,955, dated July 5, 1881,

Application filed February 18,1881.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, LA VERNE W. NoYEs, of the city of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in ABook-Holders, which is fully set forth in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying'drawings, in which- Figure l is an end elevation of my improved book-holder with the case closed. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same when closed. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the same when open. Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the same when open, and Fig. 5 is a top-plan view of the'case for the book when open.

The same letters denote the same parts in all the figures.

My invention relates to portable supports for dictionaries, atlases, and other unwieldyy books; and it consists in a case conformed in general shape to the book, provided with hinged lids, and hinged at one end to a standard, and adj ustably attached to the same standard at the other, so that when in use the farther end ofthe book may be raised above the nearer; and it further consists in supporting the hinged lids 'upon a pair of side braces, each hinged at one end to the lid and at the other to the standard, so that the opening of the lids shall operate to throw out the upper ends of the braces, and at the same time raise the farther end of the book, while when the booklids are shut together the weight of the book and case will naturally hold them in that position 5 and my invention also consists in the several devices and combinations of devices subsidiary to these operations, which will be fully described hereinafter, and definitely pointed out in the claims, the object of the whole being to provide a more convenient and elegant means of preserving and using unwieldy books than any other with which I am acquainted.

In the drawings, Adenotes a oase, adapted to inclose the book completely, provided with lids a', hinged to the back a, and with marginal guards a2, arranged on the edges of the lids, and of suitable dimensions to meet when the lids are vertical. Within the case each lid is connected with its fellow by two or more straps, a3, attached to each lid near its inner (No model.)

margin, and of such alength as to be extended nearly level when the case is open, and relaxed considerably when the case is closed,so that the back of the book will be let down within the hollowed back of the case. These straps, however, are not essential to the operation of the invention, though they facilitate it, and they may therefore be dispensed with. At the end which is designed to be nearest the reader the back a is hinged to a support, B. The other end is fastened to the upper end of a bar, C, curved in the form of a circular are, (the radius being the distance from the hinge to the point of attachment of 0,) and capable of sliding in the direction of its curvature by means of guides ona support, B', which corresponds to the support B. By the preferable construction which is shown in the drawings the supports B and B are curved each to correspond with the curvature of the bar C, and meet in a single support, D, equally distant from the two ends of the case A, which support rests on four feet, two, E, in the same plane with the. supports B and B', and the othertwo,E', at right angles to them. The bar G hasa longitudinal slot, in which and in the support B are inserted two screws, c and c', with heads wider than the slot, the one at the point where the bottom of the slot is to be in the highest position of the case, the other where the top of the slot is to be in the lowest position. The length of the slot is equal to the distance through which the farther end of A is to be raised and lowered plus the distance between the two screws.

On the outer side of each of the lids a is hinged the upper end of a brace, F. This brace bends inward, so as to conform nearly to the curvature of the back a of the case, thence takes a straight course, so as to lie close to the single leg D when the case is shut, and again bends outward, so as to fit on the foot E', to which its lower end is hinged. This formation causes the braces F to fold up close against the standard when the case is shut, so as to make practically no addition to the bulk of the structure. Both hinges are affixed to the inner faceof the brace, so that the two flaps of each hinge are in the same plane when the case is closed. When the case is opened the upper hinges, f, permit the lids to turn over into a horizontal IOO position, resting on the upper ends of-the braces,

while the lower hinges, f', permit the spreading of the upper ends of the braces to correspond with the increased lateral distance between the points of the two lids to which they are respectively hinged. This position of the lids and braces is shown in Fig. 4. This position necessarily results in the elevation of all the parts of the case traversed by a straight line connecting the two upper hinges, the degree of elevation depending on the distance from the back of the case outward to the point on the lid where the upper end of the brace is hinged. The attachment of the case at its hinged end to the support B, as already described, evidently makes it impossible for that end of the case to be lifted, and necessitates a circular motion of the case around that end as a center. The attachment of the farther end to the curved and slotted bar G conforms to this necessity, and in order that the connection of the lids with the braces F may conform to it also, I attach one ilap of each hinge f and f by a single screw, on which the hinge is thus virtually pivoted, its other ap being rigidly attached in the ordinary way. By this arrangement Imake possible aslight backward motion of the upper end of each brace, sufficient to adapt the braces to the new position ofthe case.

The entire transformation from the position in which the holder is folded up in its most compact form to that in which the case is opened for use,the lids resting on the expanded braces and its farther end-elevated, so that the book lies in convenient position for the eye, is effected by simply opening the lids, and the return to the closed position is e'ccted by simply closing them, the weight of the parts, especially when the weight of the book is added, being sufficient to hold the structure in either position after it has been once put there. I find it advisable, however, in order to insure a perfect closing of What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The book-case A, provided with the back a and hinged lids a', in combination with a standard, to which one end ofthe back is hinged, and the braces F, Vpivotally hinged to the lids at their upper ends and to the standard at their lower ends, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2; The book-case A, provided with the back a and hinged lids a', in combination with a standard,to which oneend ofthe backis hinged, the arched bar C, affixed tothe other end, and capable of a circular motion by means of guides on the same standard, and the braces F, pivotally hinged to the lids at their upper ends and to the standard at their lower ends, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3."lhe standard provided with upper supports, B and B', and feet E and E', the case A, provided with the hinged lids a and back a., hinged to the support B, the arched and slotted bar C, the screws c and e', and the braces F, pivotally hinged to the lids and to the feet E', respectively, all constructed, arranged, and operating in combination substantially as and for the purpose described.

LA VERNE W. NOYES. Witnesses:

JN0. C. MAcGREGoR, ALICE HoLLIsTER. 

